This Kid is too Much!
by Ugly.Paper.Swan
Summary: FLUFF Tom x Shizuo. One night, during late night dinner at Russia Sushi, there was an incident involving Shizuo and wasabi that made Tom couldn't help but think, "How cute". Their relationship changes a bit after that and, for some reason, Shizuo becomes 'cuter' in Tom's eyes.
1. Prologue

**Another fic for some people who wanted Tom x Shizuo. Enjoy~**

**Disclaimer : I'm not Durarara's owners!**

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It has been a long day for them. Being debt collectors in the Ikebukuro city does that to you. It becomes especially draining when the debtors are so adamant in not paying their money that Shizuo just had to step in and throw said debtors across the street in rage.

Tom lifted his fingers accordingly in front of his face as he absentmindedly counted the human bodies flying up to Ikebukuro's sky today. A low growl surprised him out of his thinking, causing him to turn to his right and face his ex-kouhai.

"Something wrong, Shizuo?"

"Hmmm…grrr…annoying, annoying…damn stupid…annoying!..."

_Ah, Heiwajima Shizuo. Moody as always and rages like a hurricane when things annoy him. Not good. Definitely not good._

Tom only need a second to think up the idea and patted Shizuo on the back so that the man would pay attention to him.

"Say, how about we go to Russia Sushi to de-stress you. My treat. We can get you milk there too if you want."

"Oh?" asked Shizuo, his ears perking up at the word 'milk'. "Yeah, sure. Milk sounds good!"

"Right, of course. So let's go. Come along now…" said Tom as he beckoned Shizuo to walk next to him as he changed direction. The way Shizuo the Giant came lumbering towards him like a loyal dog amused him so much.

He'd bet all the money on him that Ikebukuro just wouldn't believe how gentle Shizuo can really be.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	2. The Wasabi Attacks!

**The second chapter is up! Thanks for reading!**

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"Welcome! This way, Tom-san, Shizuo…" greeted Simon in his weird Japanese accent. The two customers walked in and took their place at the front counter. Late at night, they were the only customers around. "What will it be? Fried chicken sushi? Cheese sushi? Normal sushi?"

"Normal is fine Simon. Anything, as long as it's normal…and some for this guy too. Oh, and don't forget the milk," said Tom. A clatter to his right made Tom look once again in that direction. Shizuo was messing around with something gathered together in a bowl. Moving closer to Shizuo, Tom craned his neck to see what he was playing around with.

"Wasabi?" asked Tom.

"Ou…what is this thing anyway? Kasuka says I probably won't like it if I eat it, so I never touched these things since. What does it taste like?" Shizuo picked up a packet and lifted it to his eye level, observing the orange packaging carefully. Not satisfied with the little information found on it, he placed it on the countertop and prodded it softly to have a feel at the consistency of the paste.

Tom blinked at the sudden expectation for an answer from him. He fiddled with his glasses as he pondered for the right words to explain to Shizuo. "Eh…how can I put it? It's spicy. Not painful spicy, more like…uh…it hurts your nose when you eat it?"

"Spicy, huh? Kasuka was right. I won't like it."

The answer made Tom laugh. Who would've thought the strongest man in Ikebukuro is very obedient, especially towards his younger brother of all people! Before he could say the very thing that he was thinking to Shizuo, Shizuo suddenly made a hacking and coughing noise. When Tom turned around in concern, he saw that the wasabi packet that Shizuo had been poking had burst and splattered itself on the blonde's nose. Obviously, he had poked with a pressure a tad too much for the packaging to handle.

As much as Tom wanted to shout to Simon for a glass of water and tissue for the poor man, laughter had evidently won out, turning Tom into a mess of giggling goo on the counter. Shizuo who was previously coughing like there was no tomorrow was surprised and seemed scandalized that his trusted senior would laugh at him like this.

"_Cough…hack…cough!_ Tom-san, how could…hack…goddamn this thing…cough…hurts…you!"

"Ahahahaha!"

"Nnngh…my nooooose… it huuuurrtssss…" wailed the victim. Shizuo covered his nose in frustration. The hot feeling and the tears streaming from his eyes were not helping a bit. Tom laughing on the floor because of his red and runny nose was not fun.

"TOM-SAN! NOT…cough…FUNNY!" yelled Shizuo as he stomped his foot near Tom's head. Tom immediately stopped laughing and picked himself up from the floor. Though the left-over laughter was evidently bubbling in his expression, he assumed his "senior" (or so he liked to call it) face. Grabbing a tall glass of milk from Simon's hands and a box of tissue on the counter, Tom went back to the coughing man and handed him the cool beverage.

Without hesitating, Shizuo accepted the milk and downed one desperate gulp. Thankfully the spiciness went down to a more tolerable level. Sniffing and crying his eyes out, Shizuo drank the rest of the milk silently.

Tom had forgotten how cute Shizuo was years ago when he suggested to him to dye his hair blonde. The look on his face when he was seriously contemplating was just so moe. But tonight just takes the cake. With Shizuo sulking in the corner like a cat with an injured pride while drinking milk desperately; the milk moustache dripping down his lips; the red nose and teary eyes…who wouldn't say that this was the cutest thing ever in the history of Man.

Biting his lips, because Tom definitely didn't trust himself to speak just yet lest he starts laughing again, he took a tissue from a box and dangled it in front of Shizuo's face. Shizuo lifted up his head in silent question.

"Hmm…you might want to blow your nose, Shizuo. It's dripping like mad on that bartender suit your brother gave you."

Shizuo panicked and wiped the mucous off with his hands. Afterwards, he looked in dismay at his hands because now it's all sticky. With teary eyes, he faced Tom again and just closed his eyes.

_Almost like he's waiting for something…Ah…_

"Alright. Blow your nose, Shizuo…" said Tom as he held the tissue he was holding, up again. Shizuo shamelessly blew his nose. Tom took hold of more tissues and told Shizuo to wipe his hands, which he did obligingly.

_Ah, that's it. I just can't take it anymore._

"Hey, Shizuo."

Shizuo looked up from his wiping. He was blinded by a flash of light that crossed his vision for a split second. Blinking back his tears, Shizuo asked Tom with a hoarse voice, "What was that?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," replied Tom as he pocketed his phone and poked Shizuo on the nose a few times. "You know…you still got some wasabi on this."

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**How's that for your Tom x Shizuo fix? Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	3. Call First If You're Gonna Be Late!

**In case it was not that obvious, italics are used as Tom's thoughts. ****The third chapter is up! : Don't Forget to Call First If You're Gonna Be Late!** Enjoy!

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It has been 30 minutes. Tom took a glance at his wristwatch and leaned back on the wall as he waited for Shizuo to show up. It was strange that Shizuo was late; he was always prompt when it comes to time. Even if somehow Izaya shows up while he was on the way, he would always end the chase in time, or rather, Izaya would slip away before he even got the chance to throw a second vending machine in the air.

Tom stood up straight and decided to walk around a bit to get rid of some boredom. He'll just be nearby and if Shizuo had already arrived at their meeting place, he figured the man would have some sense and call him.

He walked around against the bustling human sea. He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings until a turquoise umbrella entered his peripheral vision.

_An umbrella? But the weather's clear today._

Curious to see the oddball person carrying the umbrella, Tom was surprised that it was actually Shizuo. Before he could call out to him, Shizuo hurried off in another direction, away from the meeting place. Wondering what his kouhai was up to with the plastic bags he was holding, Tom stalked him from behind.

Shizuo entered a dirty and empty alleyway. Silently following, Tom stopped at the mouth of the alleyway and peered in. Shizuo was crouched down on the ground with an arm into a medium-sized drain by the side of a wall, completely disregarding the fact that he was kneeling in a brown puddle of mud.

_What is he doing?_

A soft mewl made its way to Tanaka Tom's ears. Shizuo, with his hands now out of the gutter, smiled triumphantly as he managed to pull out 3 dirty kittens sheltering in the drain. Shizuo carefully cleaned them slightly with a few bottles of mineral water and wiped them down with a towel that he just bought from the nearby supermarket. He then proceeded to line a nearby discarded box with another dry towel and placed the kittens inside. He then opened a tin of dried sardines and a bottle of milk to feed them.

While the kittens were eating, Shizuo placed the turquoise umbrella earlier above the box to act as a shelter in case rain comes. Turning back to look at the kittens he just cleaned, he poked and nudged each kitten contentedly.

_Ah, so that's why he was late. Geez, this kid. Could've called first._

Tom turned away from his hiding place and went back to the meeting place to wait for Shizuo's arrival. When he did arrive, Tom finally noted how dirty his attire was.

"What happened?" asked Tom, though he already knows the answer. Shizuo scrunched up his face and let out a growl.

"Ugh, that stupid fucking flea just won't leave me alone! What's his problem?"

"Oh?" said Tom with a knowing smile. "I thought you were sidetracked with saving some kittens from a drain or something. Turns out it was just the flea? Really, you should've called first to say you were going to be late."

Shizuo looked the other way and lit up a cigarette. Taking a long drag from it, Shizuo replied. "Nothing like that. Just the flea being annoying."

_Shizuo, your tell-tale blush isn't helping the lie._

"Alright then, let's go. This time, we're going to see that bookstore manager that was behind his due date for payment."

"O-ou…"

Shizuo stomped on his cigarette and walked on ahead; his blush still burning on his face as he led the way. "Tom-san."

"Yes?"

"I'll call next time."

_Cute._

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**Omake – When the Job was Done**

At first Shizuo seemed to be okay. His shy demeanour faded away and transformed into his usual frowning expression before long; effectively making the bookstore manager pay the debt without any unnecessary hassle.

When they went out for dinner later that day, Shizuo was already jittery. The man himself didn't notice, but Tom had already started counting the many times Shizuo had sighed worriedly and chain-smoking into oblivion.

"Is there something wrong, Shizuo?" Tom inquired as they walked out from the family restaurant.

"No."

"Alright." Tom conceded. He knew exactly why Shizuo was acting like this. After knowing him for so long, he knew Shizuo just couldn't leave the helpless alone, be it human or animals. Without saying a word, he nonchalantly changed their course of direction back towards their earlier meeting place. Shizuo, of course, didn't notice as he became more nervous as they were nearer; his shuffling more evident.

Shizuo broke the silence. "Ju-just…I haven't seen the flea today. T-that's why."

"I thought you already met him before we meet up?"

Shizuo froze up and became flustered. Fidgeting that he was about to be exposed, Shizuo suddenly changed direction and ran off. "AH, TOM-SAN! WAIT A BIT, I'VE G-GOT SOME STUFF TO D-DO!"

"Hmm…seriously that kid," said Tom with a chuckle. He didn't have to wait long. Before he knew it, Shizuo had already run back with a box in his hands.

_My, that was fast._

Tom pretended to be interested and peered into the box, the three scruffy kittens yawning and looking up to him. "Don't tell me you actually _did_ save a few kittens back then?"

This time, Shizuo didn't bother to hide his reddening cheeks and ears. "I told you, it was nothing like that, Tom-san! It's the flea, it's the flea!"

"Okay~ Whatever you say."

"IT'S THE TRUTH, TOM-SAN!"

"I believe you, I believe you. When did I ever say otherwise?"

Tom watched as Shizuo bit his lips in embarrassment. "Well, are you done? Or should I wait some more until your business is finished?"

"I'm done," replied Shizuo, a little too quickly. He eyed Tom next to him, fearing that his employer is going to call his bluff out. But as moments excruciatingly pass by slowly, Tom did no such thing. Shizuo let out a sigh of relief.

As they walked back to their own residence, Shizuo said, "I'm going to call them Mi, Ru and Ku!"

"'Milk', huh? Typical of you."

"Shut it."

…_Really cute._

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**Izaya being used as a scapegoat, hehehe...and kickass kitten names for kickass owner FTW!**


	4. You Should Talk to Him

**A/N : I think maybe Shizuo's been a bit OOC in this story...so I've worked hard to make him back IC. Though it's a bit long, enjoy!**

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Lately, it seems as if he had repeated the same question, in a variety of ways, on a daily basis. Knowing that, it still didn't stop Tom from asking the blonde anyway. He turned sideways to look at Shizuo.

"Is something bothering you, Shizuo?"

Shizuo shook his head in reply. Instead, he put back on his sunglasses and looked on ahead, his arms crossing over his chest in an act to nonchalant. Unfortunately, it was clear as day that he was uncomfortable in this particular situation, judging by the frown crossing his features. A random person had accidentally bumped Tom from the back and apologised, before shuffling forward once again.

"Man. The crowd's always crazy every time your brother is shooting a scene here."

"That's expected. Kasuka is amazing after all," responded Shizuo with a small smile, his voice hardly heard over the screaming of some fangirls around them. Despite that, Tom could tell that Shizuo was very proud of his little brother.

When the person in question noticed their presence, he gave them both a small nod to acknowledge them. Shizuo nodded back and adjusted his sunglasses again. Feeling that he could no longer handle the stuffy atmosphere, Shizuo then motioned Tom to follow him and sat by the side of the road a good couple of feet away from the huge crowd but still at a good distance to see the shooting of his younger brother's newest film clearly.

The two watched silently at the proceedings of the shooting. As time went on by, Tom could sense that his kouhai is still being fidgety even though they were away from the crowd. The debt collector sighed inwardly. Even if he asked Shizuo again, he's just going to get the same answer.

_Looks like I'm going to have to go on another way to get this kid to talk…_

With that decided, Tom spoke up.

"So how's Kasuka lately?"

Hearing the question, Tom noticed Shizuo stiffened up and nervously lit up another cigarette. Shizuo, nevertheless, didn't respond straight away; opting instead to finish the stick he currently holds between his fingers and light up another one.

"Well?" prompted Tom.

"Uh…He's…He's doing well. Um, but I don't really know a lot. He doesn't really talk much," replied Shizuo, looking away from Tom and stared straight at Kasuka from the distance, as if trying to make his point clearer. "You know how he is, Tom-san…"

Tom regarded his junior in silence. Hearing his reply, Tom merely let out a small laugh as the truth of the situation came out. This has definitely got something to do with Kasuka, thought Tom. He nudged Shizuo.

"Tell me the truth, Shizuo. Have you been talking to Kasuka lately?"

The blonde broke his gaze from the filming crew and turned his head to stare at his senior. For a while, both of the man traded bewildered blinks with each other. All of a sudden, Shizuo held his face with both hands and laughed into his palms.

Looking bemused, Tom let the laughter continue until Shizuo stopped. He waited patiently for what the ex-bartender wanted to say. Tom could tell Shizuo's cheeks were red from between the blonde's finger, though he wasn't exactly sure if it was from laughing hard or from the sheer embarrassment at being caught lying.

"Ahahahaha! Hmm…argh…nothing gets by you, huh, Tom-san?" said Shizuo from amidst his laughter. The loud laugh slowly trickled down to a wide smile. Shizuo stomped out the forgotten cigarette with the sole of his shoe and looked at Tom, his head resting on the palm of his right hand.

"You bet your ass nothing does." Tom grinned in return. He finally got Shizuo to open up.

_Now to get that answer out of him._

"Don't dodge the question, Shizuo. Have you been talking to your little brother?"

"Hmm…straight to the point as always, Tom-san."

"Well, you seem to appreciate straightforwardness. I don't want to find myself suddenly flung across the street by you because I was skirting around a subject."

Shizuo stopped at the sentence. He sat up straighter and once again looked away from his employer. Tom suddenly felt guilty at making Shizuo make a sad expression and wished he could retract back the statement.

"You know I wouldn't do such a thing to you, Tom-san. You've done a lot for me."

"Sorry, Shizuo. I didn't mean it like that. You're a good kid, okay? Heck, if you want, fling me around to your heart's content. I don't care, I swear!"

"Pffft! Haha! OH, this is too much! That's the first time I ever see Tom-san stumble over words!"

Now it seems that it was Tom's turn to blush. His junior was practically rolling on the sidewalk laughing, his purple shades scattered off the side of the street. Never in his whole life did Tom ever felt the pride of his as a senior crumble to pieces in this manner!

_THIS KID! He's…he's laughing at me! Agh, so embarrassing!_

"YOU! Hey, what did I say about changing the subject! Shizuo, tell me about Kasuka and you!"

"Hmm? Oh that…" said Shizuo as he picked himself up from his laughter; his eyes still glittering with amusement. The crowd who were still there looked over at the pair curiously but Shizuo and Tom paid no mind to them. Shizuo cleared his throat. "After I got fired from my bartender job, we hadn't talk much…I felt too ashamed to look at Kasuka in the eye, much less talk to him. He helped me look for a job and I kinda ruined it on the first day."

"It wasn't your fault though, right?"

"It doesn't matter." Shizuo ran his finger through his hair. "It's just…I feel like I've let Kasuka down or something. That I don't deserve to talk to him after that."

Tom cocked his head sideways, looking at Shizuo with questioning eyes. "You know that's not true. I may not know him much, but I'm sure he loves you."

"He also hasn't said a word after my firing of the job. So I assumed he was mad at me." Shizuo grimaced. Tom paused. He needed to word this carefully. He didn't want to be the reason for these two siblings to drift apart even more.

"…Well…have you assumed that maybe Kasuka figured you wanted some space and didn't want to make it awkward between the two of you, that's why he was silent and didn't mention anything? He was really looking after you?"

Tom watched Shizuo soak up the words gradually, his face smiling a little as Shizuo comes to realization.

"Do…do you really think so, Tom-san?"

"There's a saying I've heard…I don't remember where it comes from though…it goes something like this: Water, no matter how much you slice it, it will never cut."

Shizuo looked intrigued, so he questioned Tom. "And what does that mean?"

"It means: arguments and conflicts between family members will never last long because they will definitely come to terms eventually."

Shizuo remained silent. "…That's a nice saying."

"So why don't you talk to him? See…the filming crew are having a break right now."

"Eh?"

Shizuo looked back at the filming site. True enough, they were having a break from the scene. Shizuo searched for Kasuka's form and found him poring over a script alone in a secluded spot. He looked back at Tom, confused as to what steps to take next.

"I…I can't go up and talk to him…people might start to talk bad about him if they know our connection. His popularity might go down or something."

Seeing the flustered Shizuo, Tom merely patted him on the back. "No worries. If it ever comes to that, Kasuka has raw talent and people aren't blind to that. He'll bounce right back. Besides, if it will comfort you, you two don't look that much alike in first glance. People won't notice. Just act like you're a random fan, okay?"

Tom stood up and held out a hand to Shizuo. "Here, let's go. I'll even follow you there."

"B-but…"

"No 'buts'. Come on. Talk to Kasuka. You missed him, right?"

Shizuo reluctantly grabbed Tom's offered hand and got up. Together, they walked towards Kasuka's location, still hand in hand. Halfway through, though, the blonde suddenly walked slower and partially hid himself behind Tom. Tom couldn't help but feel amused when he felt Shizuo gripped his suit a little too hard until there was a tell-tale ripping sound greeting his ears.

_Shizuo, there's no way you can hide behind me…_

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**A/N : Thank you for reading! Sorry if I took too long to update. Until next time! :D**


	5. I Won't Leave You

**A/N : Yay, an update!**

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Tom shielded his eyes from the strong sunlight as he watched a red vending machine fly a mile high in the sky before it crashed back down to earth with a loud sound. All around him, people were gathering in a wide circle, trying their best to see what has set off the Bartender of Ikebukuro this time. Loud gossips were floating about and some spectators even had their cameras and phones out.

Forcing his way through the crowd, Tom tried to search for his kouhai as best as he could. But the amount of people watching were too many, causing the tanned man a good amount of trouble locating Shizuo. The only thing guiding him were Shizuo's roar as he flung yet another heavy object into the air in rage.

As soon as he reached the front, Tom let out a heavy sigh. "Not again…Oi, Shizuo!"

Shizuo didn't respond. He was too far gone to even hear Tom's reasoning voice. Raising his clenched right hand up, Shizuo readied it for a punch to the thug's face.

Tom's face changed. The situation doesn't look good and if he let things go on any further, that thug wouldn't even have a head on his shoulders in the near future. His legs started charging forwards. Grabbing Shizuo's right arm and clinging on to it, Tom tried his luck again.

"SHIZUO, OI! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

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Tom watched amusedly as Shizuo fumbled with his keys and smiled when he noticed Shizuo keep stealing guilty glances his way. When the blonde succeeded in finding the right key, he threw open the door and held it.

"Are you sure you want to go in, Tom-san?" asked Shizuo in a small voice.

"Sure I'm sure!" smiled Tom in return; though he was quite sure Shizuo wouldn't be able to see it what with the bartender convincing himself to not face him. "I can't exactly leave you alone right now, can I?"

When Shizuo didn't answer but merely walked through the door and took off his shoe without a word, Tom realized that Shizuo really felt down about what had happened earlier. Thinking that Shizuo wouldn't mind, Tom followed his steps and went in, locking the door behind him.

While he was balancing on one leg, trying to take off the other shoe, Tom was alerted to a few high-pitched meows further in the living room. Throwing his shoe aside, he rushed inside only to be greeted with a Shizuo and three kittens in his lap.

"Ah! So you really kept them?"

"Un. I couldn't find someone else to take them in, so I decided to keep them instead," replied Shizuo. Tom noticed that the blonde was still not looking at him. Instead, Shizuo continued to look down and busied himself with the kittens, placing the ones which fell on the floor back on his knees.

"Shizuo, look at me."

Shizuo didn't, so Tom repeated the sentence again with the same result.

Putting on an exasperated frown, Tom said, "Fine, stay that way. But I want you to answer me honestly, okay?"

After getting a nod from Shizuo, Tom resumed his questionings. "Why is it that you're so hard on yourself, kid? Quit that."

Again, Tom was met with another silence from Shizuo. Tom had waited for a full minute until Shizuo finally looked at him. Finally, Shizuo answered before looking away again.

"…I'm afraid…"

"Of what?" questioned Tom. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for Shizuo's reply; the heavy plastic bag holding Shizuo's groceries in his hands was starting to numb his fingers. Tom put them down on a small table and walked back closer.

Shizuo made a painful expression. Again, he busied himself with picking up the kittens and playing with them; prodding them and tickling them. Before long, his face changed back into a more peaceful expression as the kittens in his hands were meowing, demanding his attention. Tom smiled along.

"You saw how I was this afternoon. I lost control again."

"I see. You were afraid that you'll hurt someone again…" muttered Tom thoughtfully as he sat down next to the blonde and picked up both Mi and Ku. Shizuo watched silently while Tom was playing with the kittens. He let out a small laugh when Ku had scratched Tom's fingers in a playful manner, causing the man to hiss in pain.

The small laugh prompted Tom to look at his companion. When he noticed that Tom was looking his way, Shizuo shook his head.

He confessed. "Yeah, I was afraid of that too…"

"Too?"

Shizuo put Ru down. He spoke up, a frown marring his face and replacing the previous smile; which Tom found was quite a shame. "More than being afraid that I will hurt another again…I was afraid that the ones important to me will leave me because I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster, Shizuo. Anyone who really knows you will attest otherwise."

A cynical laugh came from Shizuo's mouth. "Yeah, and those same people still kept a bit of distance from me, because deep down, they know that I could hurt them beyond repair if I ever lose it. Don't think that I didn't notice the way Kadota would sometimes watch what he says or the way Tom-san would wince whenever I punch someone in the face…"

Tom fell silent. He turned his attention towards the kittens in his hands and started petting them heavily. He felt ashamed that Shizuo had noticed that of him. Feeling that Shizuo's eyes were staring at him, Tom decided to set things straight. After all, he didn't like the way Shizuo's eyes were dulled with sadness.

"I admit. I do wince every time you punch someone."

After the statement, Tom was surprised to see that Shizuo was smiling as if he had accepted that as a fact. But somehow, the smile felt painful. The ex-bartender looked away.

"I knew it. Tom-san was afraid if me too…"

It was Tom's turn to shake his head. "Wrong."

"Huh?...I'm wrong?"

Tom sighed. He smiled a little; somehow talking with Shizuo like this made him feel like he's talking to a kindergartener. "Yes, you're wrong. I winced, not because I was afraid of you. Rather, who wouldn't wince when they see something physically painful happen right in front of them? It's reflex."

"Reflex?"

Tom chuckled.

"Okay, now you're just repeating whatever last word I'm saying, Shizuo."

Shizuo blushed, causing Tom to roar out in laughter.

_God, this kid is too cute!_

"Yes, reflex. Shizuo, you dummy. If you looked closer, you'd notice that those around you still hang around even if you lose it. Have you ever seen Kadota and the others shun away from you after every display of violence they see from you?"

Shizuo cringed at the word "violence", which Tom didn't miss.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat my words, Shizuo. Even if you hate it, violence is still violence." Tom turned fully towards Shizuo and confronted him. "Do you see me running away from you after what happened this afternoon?"

Shizuo shook his head once more. "No, you're still here."

"Good. Glad you've noticed. Heck, even if he calls you a monster, Izaya still bothers you from time to time. Aren't you glad?"

Shizuo let out a growl at the mention of Izaya's name. "I wish that the flea would leave me alone. He's the bane of my existence."

"True, true," laughed Tom. "But that's just it, kid. We're not leaving you alone. _I _won't leave you alone. I'll stick around so that I can stop you from going too far. Look, even the kitties aren't afraid of you! So don't be so afraid anymore. Did that get through your thick skull?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Well then…" said Tom as he dumped Mi and Ku back on Shizuo's lap and stood up. "Since the mood calls for it, who's up for sukiyaki and milk?"

Feeling somewhat better, Shizuo lifted up Ru's front legs and squeaked in a high pitched voice. "Meeee~"

"Okay, sukiyaki and milk for Mi, Ru and Ku, but none for Shizuo!"

"What?!"

Tom turned around to pick up the forgotten plastic bag on the table, feeling glad that Shizuo was okay. Before he could reach the table though, Shizuo had crush hugged him from behind.

"Thanks, Tom-san…"

_Ah, this kid…_

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**A/N : ****Sorry for the delay. Here's hoping that I have the time to update on weekends from here on out.**_  
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	6. I'm Going to Pinch Your Cheeks!

**A/N : Sorry for lateness! Extra long chapter for the wait. Enjoy! ^_^**

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Tom looked to his left, then to his right. The many people bustling around them paid no heed to the pair. He then looked at Shizuo, who pointedly looked away, trying very hard to ignore him. Putting down the cup of hot coffee Shizuo had gotten him a few moments ago, Tom tried again.

"You haven't said anything the whole day. Are you still sulking about this morning?"

Once again, Tom's tries were in vain. Shizuo snubbed him and had shifted a good two inches from him, getting as far away as he could on that park bench they were sitting on. Tom could only smile a little and snort at the ridiculousness of the current situation.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. All I did was pinched your cheeks because you were a bit late for work," said Tom.

"Humph."

Shizuo still wasn't looking at him, but that was a start. Tom thought of giving another minute or two before he tries talking to the blonde again. Picking his cup of coffee up again, Tom sipped whatever amount that's left.

As he was sipping, he suddenly recalled that morning's event. Shizuo was late, so as punishment, Tom had pinched his cheeks. Too bad, Izaya was somehow there to witness the scene. Anyone could just imagine what would happen next. Yup, another section of Ikebukuro got destroyed in the name of Shizuo's embarrassment.

Tom suddenly spit out his coffee in a spray, startling Shizuo, and started roaring out with laughter, attracting people's attention. Shizuo wasn't amused.

"Tom-san…don't tell me you're still laughing about this morning…" growled Shizuo.

"Ahahah! Oh, um, pfft…sorry Shizuo. I'm not! Haha! Honest!" said Tom in between his laughter as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh my gosh, I think my sides are gonna split…haha!"

"Tom-san!" cried Shizuo in dismay as he got up in protest; his own cup of coffee thrown aside as the other spectators veered away in case the famous ex-bartender lashes out in anger.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I _was_ laughing about this morning; it's just too funny! Your face, ahahaha!~"

"GAH! Stop laughing about it already!"

Shizuo took hold of Tom's collar and shook him hard in a desperate attempt to get his employer to stop laughing. Just watching Tom laughing his head off about this morning caused a blush to creep up on Shizuo's face. By this time, almost all people in their immediate area were gone.

But despite his poor attempts, Tom ignored him and continued.

Threatening him, shaking him more, heck, Shizuo even spun Tom around at one point. It still didn't change the situation one bit. He's still laughing and Shizuo's face has already transformed into something resembling the reddest tomato.

"Well your face isn't any better!" Shizuo shouted after he stopped his spinning of his senior and letting him hang in mid-air because of their height difference.

That got Tom to pause for a while. The previous spinning had made him hold Shizuo tighter in case Shizuo decided to take him into another spinning frenzy. Who knows, that man could accidentally let him go. That would be bad.

"Huh? What do you mean, kid?"

Shizuo neared his face to Tom's and pinched his cheek. Tom yelped in pain.

"THIS. Your face is covered with coffee!"

Since Shizuo didn't let go of the pinch no matter how hard he tried to pull the man's hand away, Tom retaliated. Wrapping his legs around Shizuo's hips for added anchorage, Tom let go of Shizuo's shirt and pinched both of Shizuo's cheeks in return. Hard.

"Nggh, that hurts! Let go!" said Shizuo with a wince.

"Nuh uh, you let go first!"

"You let go!"

"No you!"

"Seriously, let go!"

"I won't! Not until you let go first!"

"I'll let go second! You let go!"

"Aaargh!"

The pinching contest went on for a full minute; both Tom and Shizuo totally forgot where they were and continued fighting for the right to let go last. Pinching turned to poking, and poking turned to tickling. By the time there was an awkward clearing of throat behind them, Shizuo and Tom were already down on the ground; their hair in disarray, their limbs tangled up together and Shizuo even had his bowtie ripped off in the brawl.

"Ah, Kadota," gasped Shizuo from the ground.

With a deadpanned look, Kadota cleared his throat again and spoke. "Look, I'm not even going to ask what the hell you two are doing on the ground. But you're disturbing the people who are using this park to relax."

"Oh, um, sorry," apologised Tom. He was about to get up when Erika suddenly shoved Kadota into Togusa and proceeded to sit down next to them with such enthusiasm, it left Tom reeling slightly in shock.

"I CAN'T READ AWKWARD SITUATIONS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT INVOLVES POTENTIAL BL. SO I WILL ASK! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING ON THE GROUND?!"

"Eh, what?" asked Tom in surprise.

"The heck is BL?" asked Shizuo cluelessly. He backed up a bit when Erika looked like she was about to burst from excitement.

"IT'S WHEN TWO -!"

Two pairs of hands clamped down on Erika's mouth before she got any more words out. Erika struggled hard to get them off, with only a stream of muffled shouts managing to leak out.

"Whoops, there. That's not the right question to ask Shizuo-san, if you value peace in your life," smiled Walker.

Kadota sighed. "You two best get away now. We'll hold her down for you."

With a thumb jerking towards the opposite direction, Togusa also voiced out. "And when we mean now, we mean fast. Or you two will be sorry for the rest of your lives."

"Er…okay?" agreed the two men on the ground. Shizuo watched the rabid Erika trying to bite her way through the hands holding her mouth shut. Tom merely turned his head to the direction that Togusa's thumb showed in confusion.

"Oh, ew! Erika! Don't lick my hand, that's gross!" cried Walker. Kadota turned towards Shizuo and signalled him to go quickly.

Managing to catch Kadota's meaning, Shizuo dusted himself off calmly before getting up and hefting Tom onto his right shoulder. Saluting the rest, Shizuo walked away.

"I'm off."

* * *

"…You know, Shizuo. You can put me down now. People are staring," muttered Tom as he looked intently at Shizuo's back, too ashamed to even look at other people that were staring at them as they walked past.

"Let them. I'm used to it."

"Well I'm not used to people seeing me being lugged around on the shoulder of my kouhai with my ass hanging in the air!" whined Tom. "Let me down~"

"Nope. No can do."

Tom heaved out a heavy sigh. "Oh, all right. I'm sorry."

"For what?" teased Shizuo.

"This is your revenge for this morning isn't it? I'm apologizing here."

Shizuo chuckled. "Well, that's part of it."

"Eh? You mean there's more?!"

"Yup, I got the 'people witnessing this' part down. There's just one more I need to do to get even…"

"Oh, let me guess," started Tom in a sarcastic tone. "The 'cheek pinching' part, yes?"

Shizuo whistled at the answer. "That's correct!"

"Thought so," smirked Tom in triumph. He crossed his arms at the successful guess.

"So I'm gonna pinch you now. Be ready!"

Tom tried to push off of Shizuo's back. He was about to ask whether Shizuo was going to do it now before the questioned died down in his throat due to excessive shock. Trying hard to face Shizuo, Tom stated incredulously.

"You did _not_ just do that!"

"I'm afraid I just did, Tom-san."

'You! You just pinched my butt!"

"Well, they _are_ butt cheeks. I see no difference," stated Shizuo matter-of-factly.

Blushing profusely, Tom shouted. "There is a lot of difference!"

"Uh huh. Too bad I'm just too dumb to know, Tom-san."

Tom grunted to signal Shizuo that he gave up and decided to ignore Shizuo for the moment. He let himself be carried in that fashion for a while, people staring be damned. He's just too tired and he just couldn't care less.

"You know, Shizuo. You can be cute too when you want revenge."

Shizuo's face turned red at the comment.

"Sh-shut up!"

* * *

**Omake : On the Way Home**

"So…how long are we going to stay like this?" questioned Tom.

Shizuo stopped his humming and tilted his head as much as he could without bumping his nose to his sempai's butt.

"Until you're home."

"That long, huh?"

"That long," responded Shizuo. He started back his humming in his carefree way once Tom had stopped asking questions.

Shizuo didn't even get halfway through the song he was humming until a loud shout came their way.

"RUN, SHIZUO! RUUUUUUUN!"

The pair looked up. Tom spoke up. "Hmm? Was that Kadota's voice?"

"It sure is," replied Shizuo. "Wonder what he meant by 'Run'?"

"WE'RE SORRY! WE COULDN'T HOLD HER DOWN!" hollered Walker from the distance.

"Her?" they both voiced out.

"WAIT! SHIZUO-SAN, WAIT! I WANT TO KNOW! DID YOU JUST PINCHED HIS ASS?! ARE YOU TWO GOING OUT BY ANY CHANCE?" screamed Erika. Shizuo's and Tom's expression changed when they saw Erika storming her way through the crowd to get to them; unfortunate pedestrians were shoved away without thought by Erika as she got nearer.

"Shoot!"

"Run, run, run! Shizuo, what am I paying you for? This is the time for you to shine as my bodyguard!"

"Way ahead of you, Tom-san!"

* * *

**A/N : Yay! Now it's Tom-san's turn to be cute too!  
**


End file.
